The latest KROKODIL Initiative: Free the streets/Free the people!- Press conference and panel discussion Thursday December 22

20 Dec The latest KROKODIL Initiative: Free the streets/Free the people!- Press conference and panel discussion Thursday December 22

Dear friends, collegaues, journalists, and everybody else who follow us,

Herewith we would like to invite you to the press conference and a public event with panel discussion on the occasion of launching one of the most important initiatives by the Association KROKODIL titled Free The Streets Free The People!

On Thursday, December 22, from 12pm the initiative will be presented at the press conference in KROKODIL’s Center (Karađorđeva 43), by Vladimir Arsenijević and Milena Berić on behalf of the Association KROKODIL. On the same day, from 7pm, a public event with panel discussion will be held. Historian Olga Manojlović Pintar, artist and muralist Jana Danilović, and the president and creative director of the Association KROKODIL Vladimir Arsenijević, will take part in the conversation that will be moderated by Milena Berić, member of the steering board of the Association.

More about the initiative:

Free the streets/Free the people

Street walls in Serbian cities and towns have for a long time been the scene of clashes between various extreme right-wing groups, as well as a platform for promoting policies close to them. The result of the support but also of the undue influence of the ruling political structure is an urban landscape saturated with drawings, graffiti, murals, and other visual messages that directly express and call for hatred, malice, narrow-mindedness, racism, sexism and that generally spread various toxic contents, creating the society full of violence present on all levels, especially among young people.

The objective of the 2 year initiative titled Free the Streets/Free the People is to actively transform the above mentioned tendencies and to raise awareness about harmfulness of chauvinistic and reductive mindsets regarding the past, present and future that are dominant in the public space. We aim to do this by utilizing three main strands of activities:

1.  Networking and citizens initiatives through the visual street art interventions, engagement through street protests and citizen petitions;

2. Transformation of public spaces;

3. Advocacy with policymakers on both local and national level with the aim of changing the legislation regarding the public display of hate speech. 

We are aware that many projects deal with similar initiatives, but also that there are citizens who want to get involved personally in the transformation of both official policies as well as street walls appearance, so our wish is to achieve these changes through synergic action. Regarding that, during the upcoming meetings that we are planning, at the debate and at the press conference, everyone who is interested will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves in detail with this initiative but also to join one of the working groups that will be formed.

For all questions you might have, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Yours,

KROKODIL

Free the Streets/Free the People!